Kangen
by The Forgotten's Kanvas
Summary: * "The shadows flee the light so they can protect secrets." * Orochimaru dies and is sent back in time to atone for his past deeds. Somehow, while working alone from the shadows, he has to save the very Konoha he helped destroy and fix everything else in the process. All foes be warned: the snake has shed his skin once more, and this time he's the side of the Leaf. Time Travel AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: I do not own Naruto, and I make nothing except allowance from doing chores. I'm broke. Seriously. This is merely for fun, no profit involved.**_

_**Warnings: Possible, if not probable, OOCness ahead. Also, this is an AU, so please keep that in mind. Not everything will be Original Naruto-verse. In fact, a bunch of stuff will most likely end up warped minutely. Or majorly. Either way.**_

* * *

White. Everything was white.

Why was it white?

He stared up at nothingness in blank bemusement.

Who was he? Where was he?

_Orochimaru._

Who was Orochimaru? Why did that name sound so familiar?

_Orochimaru. Remember._

And he did.

In sickening clarity, he recalled every single detail of his life. Everything, from the time he spent in his mother's womb to the time of his death. Thoughts, emotions, sights, sounds, scents, everything assaulting him all at once, gone so fast he could barely grasp it but seemingly lasting a thousand years. Every single last detail, every single harmful, monstrous act, every single person affected by it, every single drop of blood on his hands.

And after it was finished, when he was floating there, gasping for air he didn't need because he was _dead, dead, dead and he'd never be able to fix any of it_, he had one clear thought.

What have I done? What have I _done_?

What kind of sick monster was he, to have done those _things_ to innocent men and women? To _infants_. To his _village_?

_It's not your fault, Orochimaru._

The voice was soothing, but it was little comfort to the agony lancing through his chest, crushing like a vise around his heart.

_After your parents died, you had no way to deal with the grief, no way of understanding how to move on or deal with the loss of the precious people in your life. You suppressed your sanity and humanity subconsciously, seeking a way that you would never have to feel loss again. You became a dark, twisted shadow of yourself. What you have just witnessed, all the horrible deeds you committed, that wasn't you. The real Orochimaru is the one I see before me now, the one who feels regret, shame, and self-loathing for himself. The past Orochimaru would have felt none of this._

...Who are you?

_You know me as Kami._

Orochimaru flinched. How could Kami forgive him for what he'd done?

_You show true remorse, Orochimaru. How can I not forgive that?  
_

Disbelief.

_I'm giving you another chance._

...What...does that mean?

_Just rest, Orochimaru. When you wake up, it'll be the beginning again._

And everything went black.

* * *

_**AN: Utterly horrible, I know. But I might go back later and make some major revisions...Any suggestions for how to fix the prologue?  
**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: I do not own Naruto, and I make nothing except allowance from doing chores. I'm broke. Seriously. This is merely for fun, no profit involved.**_

_**Warnings: Possible, if not probable, OOCness ahead. Also, this is an AU, so please keep that in mind. Not everything will be Original Naruto-verse. In fact, a bunch of stuff will most likely end up warped minutely. Or majorly. Either way.**_

* * *

He woke up to bright sunlight streaming through the half closed blinds and creating streams of golden dust notes that danced through the air in a hypnotic waltz. He was lying on a very comfortable futon, cocooned in a warm nest of blankets, with a damp cloth resting on his forehead and a bowl of water nearby.

For a moment he wondered why he had the strange feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here, and then he remembered.

_Kami._

Orochimaru bolted upright, fighting with the blankets as he staggered, tripping over limbs that seemed too short, too delicate, over to the window. He ripped aside the obstructing blinds and stared out at a Konoha that was _whole_. A Konoha that he hadn't seen since his childhood...

The formerly dead man abruptly fumbled his way into the bathroom, staring at a young, childish face in the mirror. "Oh Kami," he breathed, stunned. "You sent me _back_." _'__I can fix it. I can fix everything, I can start all over again.'_ "It'll be different this time around," he said, listening to how odd his voice sounded now. "I'll save them. I won't let you down, I won't..." he dropped to the floor, staring in numb disbelief and overwhelming joy at the tiles of the floor. He had a rational thought somewhere in the riot of emotions that had swarmed him. _'I must be around seven or eight, judging from my appearance in the mirror..."_ He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even sense the other charka signature.

"Orochimaru? Orochimaru! Orochi-oh, there you are. You're awake, I see."

He tilted his head up and stared at the man, feeling a heady sense of relief.

Then he remembered his former-future?-self's betrayal and lunged for the toilet, barely managing to reach it in time to send the contents of his stomach, what little there was, anyway, into the bowl. Sarutobi knelt and held his hair back from his face, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"You gave me quite the scare when you collapsed at your parents funeral," the Sandaime said softly. "Jiraiya and Tsunade were concerned as well. You've been unconscious for three days now. You...missed your birthday," he added somewhat hesitantly.

_'Well, at least I have the date now.'_ "S-sensei," he rasped finally, once his stomach quit heaving. "Why...why are you here?"

"You're my genin, Orochimaru." The Hokage sounded surprised. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"...You don't have to be."

"Of course I do." Sarutobi smiled sadly.

Orochimaru rested his head against his arms, feeling the urge to giggle hysterically. He pushed it down, attempting to gather himself and suddenly feeling weak. "I-"

"Orochi!"

Jiraiya burst into the room with a broad grin, and he flinched, suppressing the instinctive reaction to grab for a kunai, adrenalin flooding his body.

"You're finally awake! I thought you were going to sleep forever." Jiraiya paused, his exuberance fading. "I'm sorry about...um...you know..."

The pale skinned ma-_child_ didn't even hear him. He'd suddenly realized that it was just too much, after dying and meeting Kami. He hadn't gotten over his shock at being sent back, hadn't fully realized the repercussions, and now... "Get out, please," he said, his voice strangely calm in his own ears.

"Oro-"

"I need to be alone for a while, Sensei. I'll come find you when I'm ready."

"...Are you going to be alright on your own?"

He nodded without looking up.

Hiruzen was reluctant, but didn't protest as he escorted his teammate out. "I understand. Come on, Jiraiya, we should tell Tsunade and the medic-nin that Orochimaru is awake now."

Once he could no longer sense their charka signatures, he broke down into hysterical, sobbing laughter. "They're alive," he gasped out, giggling breathlessly. "They're _alive_."

* * *

Nearly twenty-four hours later, after carefully writing (in code) everything that had happened in his former life and extensive planning on how to prevent or otherwise change events, starting with training his body to its previous standards, carefully hiding the scroll after sealing it with a blood seal and reacquainting himself with his house, Orochimaru finally felt ready-no, not ready, but at least more prepared-to face his past.

It would take him a while to regain his sense of balance, since he was used to being in an adult body, and it took him several hours of walking around to be able to get himself coordinated reasonably so that he wouldn't trip over nothing and fall on his face, but early in the afternoon he left his house and began searching for his team.

It wasn't that hard to find them, considering they were at the same training grounds he remembered them using as a genin. At first sight of his teammates-so young, so _innocent_-he faltered slightly, but then Sarutobi turned around and gave him a searching look, which he replied to with a subtle nod.

Jiraiya and Tsunade noticed him and crowded around with warm smiles. He listened to their meaningless babble for a minute, simply enjoying the sound of a second chance and basking in their faces, untouched by hatred or disgust, but Jiraiya, surprisingly, interrupted to ask in a hesitantly, "Are you...alright now?"

Orochimaru looked at him for a moment, then a slight smile tugged at his lips. It didn't reach his eyes. "...I will be."


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: I do not own Naruto, and I make nothing except allowance from doing chores. I'm broke. Seriously. This is merely for fun, no profit involved.**_

_**Warnings: Possible, if not probable, OOCness ahead. Also, this is an AU, so please keep that in mind. Not everything will be Original Naruto-verse. In fact, a bunch of stuff will most likely end up warped minutely. Or majorly. Either way.**_

* * *

The first few months were the most difficult. He trained constantly in order to get his body back to a respectable standard, testing his limits in an eight year old body, and experimenting with which jutsu he could use from his large repertoire. He also had to adjust to seeing people he'd known as deceased walking around Konoha perfectly alive and well-nightmarish flashbacks of his former life plagued him both day and night.

His teammates noticed that he'd become more withdrawn and calculating, but they attributed that to his parents death. Sarutobi remained concerned about him, but kept his distance when he saw how 'remarkably well' Orochimaru was coping with his loss. In truth, he could barely remember his parents.

And he had more things than grieving over strangers to worry about.

The Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars, for example. Nawaki, Dan, Hatake Sakumo, the Hyuuga-Kumo fiasco, the Uchiha massacre, Danzo, the Kyuubi attack, regaining the Snake Summons, Hanzo, Pain and his Six Paths...Madara.

Orochimaru's lips twisted in a sneer.

To prevent Tsunade from becoming the gambling, sake drinking, phobic mess she'd been in the future, he had to save Nawaki and Dan. And if she had to focus on training medics in that program she'd wanted put in place during the wars, then she would have further reason to stay in Konoha. Which would result in another bonus: the placement of a mednin on each team would prevent more casualties, and it would serve to strengthen Konoha as a whole.

Hatake Sakumo...the White Fang of Konoha. He committed seppuku after he abandoned a mission to save his teammates. Sakumo was a powerful shinobi. He could be very useful in the future, that is, as long as he was still alive.

The Hyuuga-Kumo fiasco could be easily dealt with by a strong, charismatic leader, and subtle manipulations would banish the Caged Bird Seal, the useless thing. It was weakening their shinobi, so it would have to go.

The Uchiha massacre was partly because of the Council and partly because of the Kyuubi attack...Danzo was on the Council, Danzo controlled the Root, the Root was loyal to Danzo, not the Hokage, Root was a threat. Root, and Danzo, would have to be carefully corralled, and then, like a snake suffocating its prey, slowly constricted until they died.

The Kyuubi attack and Madara. Those two things were of the utmost vital importance. Those two triggered numerous events in the future...but first he needed to get through two wars and deal with Hanzo, and to do that he needed the Snake Summons.

The man-in-a-child's-body hissed in frustration. The Snakes weren't going to submit to an eight year old, no matter how strong, Manda especially. He would have to put that off for several more years.

He rose abruptly from his place on the floor, rolling up the long list of events, what they led to, and how to prevent or otherwise fix them. Re-sealling the scroll, he shoved it back into its hiding place and began pacing, glaring at the blank walls of his house.

His house.

Orochimaru paused, this time studying his surroundings with a calculating expression. Then his lips twitched. The soft, sinister laughter would have made anyone in the nearby vicinity shudder if they'd heard it.

* * *

Two hours later it looked like a very well-organized hurricane had swept through the house. He'd gone over everything in the house and sorted it into piles in various rooms. The living room had everything he deemed usable during the present. His parents bedroom had everything he had no use for in the present but might find a use for in the future, such as spare futons, and the hallway had everything he had no use for and wanted to discard, like his parents clothes. He kept very few 'mementos' of his parents, mostly pictures, which he promptly put in the storage pile.

The discard pile was boxed up and then stacked neatly by the doorway until he could figure out what to do with it. The smaller items in the storage pile were also boxed up and moved to the attic. The larger items, including furniture, took a lot longer to deal with and required the use of some creative jutsu to get into an empty room his mother had used primarily for storage.

Then Orochimaru realized something very important. The house needed to be cleaned, as it'd gotten rather neglected over the past few months.

Cleaning involved many charka exercises, such as wall and ceiling walking, and basic D and C level jutsu. By the end of it all, after he'd converted his parents room into a dojo, his father's study into a library, and put everything in the living room where it belonged, he was exhausted and it was nearing six in the evening.

He still had to go shopping.

The future Snake Sannin sprawled on his back on the floor and began silently cursing his weak, childish body. "How is it," he asked the unresponsive ceiling, "that I can perform dozens of high-level jutsu without a problem, and yet a single day of _cleaning_ exhausts me?!" _'And I still have to stock up on shinobi equipment and groceries.'_

...

_'At least finances aren't an issue.'_ He'd received some of his parents money-the rest was in a separate account until he was older-and he had the usual 'orphans stipulation.' It wasn't as much as he'd been used to in the future, but then again he was no longer a Kage with a village at his command.

* * *

Orochimaru folded up the last grocery bag, shutting the fridge door with his hip, and looked around at the kitchen. It was clean and well-organized, like the rest of his house which now featured a shinobi security system (traps), and he now had enough food to last the month. It was surprisingly pleasant to know that he not only had a comfortable and secure place to reside, he didn't have the title of nukenin hanging over his head anymore. He was accepted in Konoha. He was home.

He hadn't had a home since before his parents died the first time around.

The contentment was almost sickening.

_Knock, knock._

"Orochimaru?" His sensei's voice was slightly muffled by the door.

He frowned, puzzled over to why the Sandaime had come, and then realization wiped his face blank.

* * *

"He hasn't been to training for two days. Do you think something's wrong?" Tsunade asked anxiously.

Sarutobi patted her shoulder reassuringly, although he himself wore a concerned expression. "I-"

"My apologies, Sensei," Orochimaru said smoothly. "I was busy and forgot to send a message to explain my absence."

"Busy with what?" Jiraiya questioned, scowling in annoyance.

Something flickered across the pale face, but it was gone in an instant and he stepped aside in a silent invitation. They all noticed the boxes stacked in the entry, and how clean the place was, when they stepped through the doorway. Politely removing their shoes they followed him through the house.

"You were cleaning."

"I felt it time for a change," came the flat reply.

Hiruzen frowned as he realized that there was barely any of his parents personal possessions in the house. "What's in those boxes?" their white-haired teammate asked loudly.

"Nothing of importance."

"Nothing of importance?" Tsunade echoed in disbelief, having opened one of the boxes. "This is all your parents stuff, isn't it?"

"As I said," Orochimaru said coolly. "Nothing of importance. I have no use for it."

"Orochimaru," his sensei began, somewhat hesitantly.

"I've accepted the fact that my parents are gone, sensei. Why should I hold on to something that is meaningless?" The snake-like genin set tea and onigiri on the table. "Sit and have refreshments. Tsunade, unless you plan on taking something from that box, kindly return it as you found it."

"What are you going to do with the stuff?" she asked, coming to sit at the table with her teammates and sensei.

"Donate it, I suppose."

"...Ah."

Forty minutes later, having been politely evicted from the premises along with his other two genin, the Sandaime sat behind his desk with his pipe and smoked, staring at the curling tendrils in thoughtful silence.

* * *

Omake:

_'How do females _do _this?' _Orochimaru wondered to himself as he stared at the long list of supplies he needed. _ 'Better yet, how do they do this and think it's _fun_? They must have some sort of jutsu that keeps them at a comfortable level of insanity...'_

He'd only been shopping for six hours, and this was _agony_. He'd barely gotten out of the tailor's alive, not to mention the squeals of the older women when they saw him on the street. Apparently he was 'cute.' He was not cute, he was evil! ...Or formerly evil, anyway. Evil things are not _cute_! And he was even wearing his hitai-ate. They should know that shinobi aren't fuzzy little kittens to be fawned over.

_'Wait...did I just compare myself to a kitten?'  
_

With a scream of frustration, the snake-like boy began banging his head against a nearby wall.

_'The insanity is taking over my mind! Pretty soon I'll_ like_ shopping!'_

He paused.

_'...Perhaps I can corrupt Madara?'_


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: I do not own Naruto, and I make nothing except allowance from doing chores. I'm broke. Seriously. This is merely for fun, no profit involved.**_

_**Warnings: Possible, if not probable, OOCness ahead. Also, this is an AU, so please keep that in mind. Not everything will be Original Naruto-verse. In fact, a bunch of stuff will most likely end up warped minutely. Or majorly. Either way.**_

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, and alerted. You were my inspiration for this chapter, as horrendously short as it is. (My apologies for that, but I couldn't make it longer without making it look really awkward in my head...)  
**_

* * *

Orochimaru had been in Konoha for a grand total of four months now. He'd adjusted to his body, mastered the art of disguising himself as a genin-which was difficult, as part of him continued to sneer at how low the Kage level shinobi had to fall in skill level-and rediscovered his the dynamics of Team Sarutobi. Child-Jiraiya was annoying, Child-Tsunade was annoying but less so than Jiraiya, and the Sandaime was...well, also somewhat annoying. It was frustrating to realize that he was their sensei's favorite student. In _his _past he'd considered himself worthy of the special attention and even demanded it, but now...

_'I'm not a child, Sarutobi! You don't have to hover over me like I'm going to break!'_ Orochimaru silently seethed, then paused mentally. _'Of course. This is all because of my b__ody's age.__ They're** underestimating me. I should kill them. They're useless-just dragging me down. I don't need them, I'm already stronger than they could ever hope to be. I can destroy**_**_ Konoha and they wouldn't even be able to lift a finger to stop-'_**_  
_

Hiruzen's eyes widened as his pale skinned genin, who appeared to be meditating under a tree, suddenly slammed a kunai deep into his own leg. Tsunade screamed in shock, causing Jiraiya to trip in the middle of the kata he was practicing.

"Orochimaru!" performing a quick Shunshin, he was at the injured boy's side in an instant, applying a healing jutsu to the wound once he removed the weapon. "Explain!" There was no mistaking the steel in the demand.

"My apologies, Sensei," Orochimaru said calmly. "I was experimenting with a genjutsu."

Unable to tell if he was lying or not, the Hokage settled for simply sending him to the hospital. His order was met with a flicker of distaste, but it was carried out without protest. Watching his barely limping student walk away, being followed by his white-haired teammate, Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. It wasn't the first time Orochimaru had reacted this way, with an emotionless mask like a veteran shinobi with years of experience, but it wasn't natural for a genin, especially one as young as him. Come to think of it, he'd first noticed it...

Giving a few hurried training suggestions to Tsunade, he formed a hand seal and vanished.

* * *

Orochimaru, having finally managed to escape both the hospital and Jiraiya, was lying on his couch and staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. He _knew _his team wasn't useless, and he had no desire to fall back to his old ways, so why would his thinking change so drastically? And yet, the more he considered it, the more it made a twisted kind of sense. Kami had merely taken the fog from his mind-that didn't mean he was completely free of past influences.

So somewhere in his mind was part of the old Orochimaru.

His eyes narrowed, mind racing at the sudden realization.

_'The old Orochimaru, who was obsessed with...immortality...no, not immortality, just prolonging existence. A soul switching bodies...one body...'_

_False immortality._

He was on his feet and reaching for a blank scroll and the ink before the thought had even stabilized into a solid idea. "False immortality," he repeated, eyes glinting in a calculating manner as he wrote. "The escape from death."

Soft, darkly amused laughter filled the house.

"Perfect," the time traveler hissed, sealing the scroll. He turned to look out the window, gazing at Konoha with a cold smirk. "Let the game begin."

* * *

_**AN: And this is where things start happening...**_


End file.
